Oasis - There And Then

Those loud mouth Mancunians Oasis return for an encore - a PAL re-release of their 1995/1996 concert footage There and Then, bringing with them a few bonus tracks to sweeten the deal.

There and Then dishes up is a live recording spanning one night at Maine Road Stadium, Manchester (28th April 1996), and two much earlier dates at Earls Court, London (4th and 5th November 1995); gigs (presumably) promoting what was then the recently released second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. The gigs see the 1996 lineup of Noel and Liam Gallagher supported by Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs on rhythm guitar, Paul 'Guigsy' McGuigan on bass, and the newly established Alan White on drums.

"We're not arrogant, we just believe we're the best band in the world." - Noel Gallagher

The set has many highlights, including a sublime version of Acquiesce (during the chorus of which Liam sits dejectedly on the monitors or beside the drum kit - priceless), Noel’s acoustic rendition of Morning Glory, Liam’s off-time tambourine stylings, and a pumping version of Hello. The complete set list, despite finishing on two cover versions, is a comprehensive collection of all that's good from the first two albums and associated singles...

1. Programme Start
2. Swamp Song
3. Acquiesce
4. Supersonic
5. Hello
6. Some Might Say
7. Roll With It
8. Morning Glory (acoustic)
9. Round Are Way
10. Cigarettes and Alchohol
11. Champagne Supernova
12. Cast No Shadow
13. Wonderwall
14. The Masterplan
15. Don’t Look Back in Anger
16. Live Forever
17. I Am the Walrus
18. Cum on Feel the Noise

In the gaps between tracks (when we would be normally be entertained by Liam’s legendary mouth), short snippets of interview footage are presented. Vaguely linked to the gig, these titbits will be of interest to (real) fans only and largely feature Noel waxing lyrical about all things Oasis. Liam is obvious by his (not wholly unexpected) absence. Once the gig really gets going, these constant interruptions get just a tad annoying; serving only to break the flow of proceedings.

"Sure I love Liam, but not as much as I love Pot Noodles." - Noel Gallagher

Ok, I admit it. Oasis and I have a sort of hate-love relationship. The thing is I just hate liking them. The Gallaghers really are complete tossers, and their mouths make cheques their art can’t (or more precisely won’t) cash. The brothers are continually at pains to vent their egos, spout foul language, lavish us with bad boy posturing, and fight incessantly. Now whilst this is all stuff I would normally applaud (shallow, aren’t I? :), their music is the complete antithesis - radio-friendly, sometimes even sickly-sweet, and with not the slightest hint of controversy. While on one hand the brothers mono-brow seem willing to challenge anything and everything you can name, the one thing they are reluctant to challenge is their audience. And let’s make no bones about it - it’s a bloody big audience. The problem I have of course, although it pains me to admit it, is that Noel Gallagher really does know how to craft a sublime pop song. No matter how much I convince myself that the Gallaghers are just a couple of wankers, their tunes continue to seduce me time and time again.

And so I found myself (reluctantly at first) loving this slice of Oasis circa 1996, tapping my feet and singing the songs in my head long after the DVD was back in its case and on the shelf. I categorically deny there was any jumping around or air guitar. All in all a splendid way to spend 80-odd minutes.

Presented in full frame on a single sided disc, Oasis – There and Then is a reasonable transfer from what appears to be video source material, or at least taken from a video master. In one place during Round Are Way the video signal experiences horizontal interference that I’m surprised made it into the final edit.

The colours, and there’s plenty of them, are well rendered, and black level is good throughout. In general the image is nice and sharp, and there is a good amount of detail on display. Background detail, however, is slightly reduced by a small amount of grain, and at times there is an over-abundance of edge enhancement. No MPEG artefacts are in evidence, and the obligatory smoke and steam is handled without a hint of posterisation. There are one or two instances of slight aliasing, but it is never distracting.

The interview footage is of more variable, generally lower quality, and becomes quite grainy at times.

Overall the problems with the transfer are minor, and did not overly affect my enjoyment of the gig – on the whole the transfer is more than acceptable.

In terms of audio, we are provided with two options - PCM stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 versions. The PCM option gives close to CD quality sound (at least to my ears), whilst the 5.1 mix expands the sound field to the entire room. This is not a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix however. Each speaker signal has simply been constructed from the source material (which I would guess was stereo) by applying varying degrees of volume and pass filters. Indeed most of the sound, at a lower volume, can be heard from the surround speakers. Still the effect is pleasing, and the subwoofer is constantly called upon to add extra body to the lower bass notes and the kick drum.

All in all the 5.1 track, although not the best I've heard, provides more of that 'being there' feeling than the PCM mix alone.

Menus are full-frame, nicely animated and with a looped portion of Acquiesce playing over the top. For this re-release of There and Then in region 4, it is extras that are the order of the day. To help us and our hard-earned part company, we are served up with four bonus tracks, two video clips and two live audio tracks:

• Video Clip: Roll with it
• Video Clip: Acquiesce

The clips are full-frame, PCM stereo only with very grainy images (possibly the intention of the director, but I can't be sure).

• Audio Clip: Wonderwall recorded live at Earls Court London on the 4th of November 1995.
• Audio Clip:Champagne Supernova recorded live at one of the record breaking nights at Knebworth Park, Stevenage in August 1996.

As you might expect, the audio clips are audio only, and an image of the DVD cover is displayed whilst they play. Both audio clips are PCM stereo only.

All welcome additions to the disc but, let’s face it, only a barely justifiable reason for re-release.

If you're a fan of Oasis, then you are going to love There and Then. It provides a good representation of the band's live show (be it some years old), and all your old favourites are here. If you have only a passing acquaintance with the band, or you are looking for a good introductory collection, then the tunes compiled here will even have your granny tapping her feet - although she may question aloud just when it was The Beatles did indeed get back together. Fook yez!